Monday, 1 August 2016: Sea-Eye rescues 245 people

05:04 Italian coast guard call and request that we head towards search position.

06:40 Sunrise; we sight a boat, 18 nm north-west of Tripolis, take dinghy off suspension and launch it. We report to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).

06:45We sight second boat and call the MRCC again. They tell us a battle ship is on its way.

06:50 We provide first boat with life vests. Mostly people from Liberia, Somalia and Sudan; 110 persons, including two women and 11 children below the age of five. Second refugee boat’s engine has been switched off, cannot be re-started. We head there, about one nm. There: 135 people, including 36 women and eight children below five. Mostly people from Bangladesh and Pakistan, some from African countries.

07:50 We provide the refugees with life vests. On the horizon navy and Italian coast guard appear.

08:20 Charlotti (the Sea-Eye’s dinghy), Sea-Eye and refugee boat – which has luckily managed to re-start its engine – take course towards first refugee boat. Navy overtake us and start taking on board the refugees.

10:00 Operation finished, coast guard and navy destroy the now empty refugee boats. Both return our life vests to us, thanking us for our help. We also thank them and offer Espressi, but the guys are in a rush.